With simple craft supplies, and no glue involved, this is a fun project for toddlers and preschoolers to work on with just a little help. My little guy loved it and spent quite a while at the table making and playing with his puppets. I call that a successful activity!
Stick Puppet Art Invitation Supplies:
jumbo craft sticks pipe cleaners colored construction paper, cut into circles or other shapes crayons or markers masking tape eye stickers or wiggly eyes (optional)
First, decorate the paper faces with crayons or markers. Add eye stickers or self-adhesive googly eyes, if you like. (We’ve been using this roll of eye stickers for a few years.) My little guy had fun scribbling hair, noses, and mouths onto his faces. It’s fun to color the craft sticks, too.
Toddlers don’t have time to wait around for glue to dry – masking tape to the rescue! Tape a craft stick to the back of each paper face.
Help your child twist a pipe cleaner around the craft stick to make arms. I cut the pipe cleaners in half and they were plenty long enough for our puppets. Now you’re ready for a puppet show!
I love that these stick puppets can go right from the art table to playtime. Henry named his puppets Pinocchio, Pirate Friend, and King. So cute! We had fun singing songs, telling stories, and doing puppet shows with our stick puppets. I put the extra supplies in a plastic bag so we can easily make puppets again when the mood strikes!
